The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-10-18
a PeAcrcAL MARINE TELEPHONE.
Tts Use IN England IN Reaching the Light
ships Successful Expert ments-
Boston Herald

Tts Use IN England IN Reaching the Light
ships Successful Experiments.
Boston Herald
An experiment Of the greatest i'm
uortance 70 the commercial world Is
now being made on the east coast of
england by the Telegraph Construction
and Maintenance company. FOR the
last eight months the company has had
several Of its best operatives located
in the neigh borhOod Of the Maze, off
which the most dangerous sands round
England are 10 De found. These
gentlemen are hourly in cOmmunica-
ton by telephone with a Hghtship
which is anchored ten miles ont,
in the vicinity of the Swim passage. An
ordinary telegraph cable has been laid
from " altOn-On-the-Naze to the sunk
IightshiD, and telephone and Geographic
apparatus have been affixed to both
ends
1t was considered improbable that the
human voice would be conducted ten
miles, especially in rough weather bat
this has been now proved to be thor
oughly practicable. A conversation
was carried on with Mr. Stevenson, one
Of the Telegraphic Maintenance com
pany's officials who was on board the
sunk lightshipj by telephone for con-
siderable time Mr. Stevenson had
been month upon the boat,
and had experienced all kinds Of
weather, during which time ne had
kept Mr.. Lewis and Mr. Pinkerton, his
colleagues on shore fully informed Of
the state of the weather roughness Of
the sea and passing craft, adding fre-
quentlY forecasts Of weather which
usually turned out TO be correct A
month on the Hghtship is a trying or
deal but Mr. Stevens was so satisfied
with the success that attended the ex-
pertinent, and knowing, if the advan-
tage Of telephone communication with
Iightships was understood and generally
adopted, what splendid boon it would
be to mariners and merchants, that be
spent bis time 0usilv in collecting in
formation and watching the working Of
mis- electrical machines.
IN a back room Of the Walton DOstOf-
ice are machines for utilizing magnetic
currents Of all descriptions. A button
g touched, which rings a bell IN Mr..
Stevenson 3 cabin upon the Sunk light
ship, ten miles away then a v0ice-that
Of Mr.. Stevenson heard inquiring
what is wanted. How is the windl
How is the tide2" Have you seen
such and such a ship pass" How
much water is there in the Swim pas
sage" These questions can b answered 7
at once. Or the following is trans
mltted: Signal such and such ship
that she is to put in at Harwich."
Every ship passing is duly signaIled
and her name and description telephoned
to the Walton postofice. On an average, /
ninety ships pass in the day and if was
known that messages could be sent
= IL
would avail themselves of the benefit. |
A considerable number of the ships
passing have come a great distance with
ont passing one of LIoyd's signalling
stations The signalling of these pass
ing the Sunk lightship would be Of
great commercial value, as their time
Of arrival at any port they were bound /
for could be timed by the owners in I
London accurately, and everything
could be made ready for the landing
and sale Of the cargo.